Book: 20240831 to 20240920, "The one thing" by Keller, Gary

20240831 - 1) The One Thing

It makes sense.

1. Reduce distraction

2. Corner ourselves so we cannot comfort ourselves that we did something else

3. Force ourselves to find the most critical task

There are so many things look important, but most of them are not critical.

20240831 - 2) The Domino Effect

The trick is, focusing on one thing force us to use "system 2" to think that what we need to do, instead of following "system 1".

Surely people can easily quit smoking if they let "system 2" in charge of their every choices. Dopamine would lose power, and people would focus on long term goal.

20240901 - 3) Success Leaves Clues

Not convincing. We can only find the ONE thing when look back. It's just illusion that someone focus on that ONE thing for many years and then succeeded.

Focus on one thing is just a principle. No one knows what that THING should be.

Part 1 THE LIES THEY MISLEAD AND DERAIL US
20240901 - 4) Everything Matters Equally

We become active and busy, but this doesn't actually move us any closer to success. Activity is often unrelated to productivity, and busyness rarely takes care of business. p33

Can we devide all tasks into 5 categories?

1. Urgent and Important

2. Urgent and Not Important

3. Not Urgent but Important

4. Not Urgent and Not Important

5. Not related

It's easy to figure out whether a task is urgent, but not easy to see whether it is important. Importance is related to our goal. Only the tasks that can get us closer to our goal is important.

As an example, we should do this for all incoming email: don't work on it before moving them into correct subfolders.

For not urgent but important tasks, there is a catch: without stress, we may spend much longer time than necessary to complete them. We need to figure out a way to push ourselves.

We should not act until we label it a proper category term. This awake our system 2.

If we do this all the time, we can live in the moment.

20240901 - 5) Multitasking

It's not just about action, we should also devide our thoughts into the 5 categories above.
We should not do any further thinking before giving them proper labels.

Zen masters must be really good at this.

20240901 - 6) A Disciplined Life

You can become successful with less discipline than you think, for one simple reason: success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right. p55

Can we make habit of our thoughts? Surely we can. For example, avoid thinking or speaking in negative words, thinking more about important things instead of trivial issues.

If we can get a new habit in 66 days, then we can get 5 habits per year. Follow the book "The 12 Week Year", if we give each habit 90 days, that's amazing 4 new habit per year.

20240901 - 7) Will Power is always on Will Call

What taxes our willpower? System 2.

Apart from morning tea and meals, is there some good and simple way to recover willpower?

ChatGPT-4o says, 10 to 20 minutes short nap or meditation. Worth trying.

20240901 - 8) A Balanced Life

So quality is more important than quantity for personal life?

From spouse's point of view, who is going to do the chores? For kids, if their Dad or Mum only appear in important session, is that enough?

To achieve something great, maybe we have to sacrifice something. Steve Jobs's widow wife still has wonderful life, I think.

20240902 - 9) Big is Bad

Avoid incremental thinking that simply asks, "What do I do next?"

If your goal is ten, ask the question:"How can I reach 20(100)?" p93

This chapter is about goal. Our goal decides what we do. Big goal brings us great achievement.

Together with low cost verification of each step, we can succeed.

PS: It's not just about career, it's also about hobby and entertainment!

Part 2 THE TRUTH: THE SIMPLE PATH TO PRODUCTIVITY
20240902 - 10) The Focussing Question

The Big-Picture Question: "What's my ONE Thing?" p110

This one is the hardest for most of people. Apart from reading and expand our activity scope, I don't see how we can figure this one out.

The Small-Focus Question: "What's my ONE Thing right now?" p110

We should review our daily acitivity before falling into sleep, and make plan for a new day before getting up in the morning. It's good to know that we only need to care for ONE thing.

20240915 - 11) The Success Habit

It's the habit of paying attention to the current activity. After each activity, ask ourselves, "What should I do next?"

Don't give the control of our body and mind to subconsciousness.

20240916 - 12) The Path to great answers

Question comes from intensive thinking. It needs to be verifiable. I think it doesn't need to be really correct or best. A goal good enough is good. We can optimize it if keep thinking.

Ok, good and excellent. That's the three levels of answer we can give to the question in previous chapter.

A possibility answer exists beyond what is already known and being done. p124

Even once per week of this experience is great!

A stretch goal is more challenging. It aims you at the edge of your current abilities; you have to stretch to reach it. The best goal explores what's possible. p128

Do we have to conquer stretch goal before trying to reach possibility goal? I think it's yes.

We need the abiliity to focus before digging our potential.

Part 3 EXTRAORDINARY RESULTS. UNLOCKING THE POSSIBILITIES WITHIN YOU
20240916 - 13) Live with Purpose

(In "A Christmas Carol"), Charles Dickens shows us a simple formula for creating an extraordianary life: Live with purpose. Live by priority. Live for productivity. p137

20240916 - 14) Live by Priority

What if I cannot find the long term goal? What if I want to achive a few goals, but none of them is crucial?

What if there are many possible midway goals, or we don't know what midway goal is the one thing?

What if this whole procedure is not linear? Maybe, just don't waste time. Do something meaningful to improve ourselves in some aspects.

20240919 - 15) Live for Productivity

To experience extraordinary results, be a maker in the morning and a manager in the afternoon. Your goal is "ONE and done." p168

Until My ONE Thing Is Done - Everything Else Is A Distraction! p171

This is the most important point of this book to me.

When a distraction comes, maybe "time travel" is a good way to make decision: if I spend xx minutes or hours to complete the unexpected task first, then come back and continue the current work, would that be better way using my time? Most of the distractions could be just some thoughts.

20240919 - 16) The Three Commitments

"OK plateau" is our imaginary ceiling. The easy way to break it is reading books, so we know what is possible.

If there is no precedent that we can refer to, then we should rely on the first principle.

20240920 - 17) The Four Thieves

Don't complain aobut other people(or fate), and don't accept what you got. You take full responsiblility of what happen to you. There are always something that we can do to improve, such as reducing distraction.

The One Thing principle needs support from many good habits, and it will be turned into a good habit.

20240920 - 18) The Journey

How to know that what the One Thing is? A simple solution: ask ourselves that whether we would regret if we get that thing done.

Eventually we will be able of get the One Thing done everytime. We will get the habit and the ability of doing that. That bring us into the category of alpha.